A mobile device, such as a cellular phone, typically includes a number of software applications when it is sold to a consumer. Many of the included applications function upon turning on the mobile device without support or data from external systems. For example, a calculator program on a mobile device will need no additional information from a server to be able to multiply two inputted numbers. On the other hand, some applications cannot operate without first receiving data or instructions from remote systems. For example, a customer care application for a cellular service provider might require billing information pertaining to a customer, and it might need to be instructed regarding how to obtain this data.
An application might be shipped without such important information for a variety of reasons. One reason is if an application requires data from a service provider and it would have been impractical for the application to be shipped knowing how to obtain this data. For example, the customer care application mentioned above may be loaded on all open market handsets that are manufactured by a specific handset manufacturer, and the open market handsets can be activated on any of a number of different cellular networks. As a result, the customer care application on a particular open market handset might not be configured to receive billing data from a cellular network that the handset is activated on because the customer care application would have been loaded on the handset before it was known which network the handset would connect to. Although most existing mobile devices are configured to receive this needed data through a data connection, it is important that they obtain the data and/or determine whether it is available without incurring a charge for the customer, particularly when a cellular network that the mobile device is activated on does not even support the application that needs to be provisioned.
The need exists for a system that overcomes the above problems, as well as one that provides additional benefits. Overall, the examples herein of some prior or related systems and their associated limitations are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of existing or prior systems will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading the following Detailed Description.